The cover of The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. Black background, with an abstract painting in green and red of a human figure kneeling of the floor. The album title is written down their back, the band name is in a circle on their hip.

First #ClassicAlbumThursday attempt in a while

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

Fantastic stuff. Love the minimalist arrangements, though the kick drums still hit hard, even through my laptop speakers. I even like the lyrics (for the most part)!

Screen grab from Spotify of the cover art to Carambolage’s self-titled LP. Head-and-shoulders shot - monochrome but tinted slightly purple - of the trio stood closely together. Only one of them is looking at the camera. The image is framed in red.

#ClassicAlbumThursday
Carambolage, s/t (1980)

The most intriguing looking of the albums in Chuck Eddy’s 150 best of 1980 list I’d never heard of. All girl trio from the most northern region of Germany. Comparisons with The Slits are invidious but they do kinda sound like a New Wave version of them.

Cover art from Bandcamp for the album ‘France Chébran: French Boogie 1980-1985’ (although the artwork states the cut off year as 1984!). Cartoon of mid 80s François Mitterand wearing a jacket, red shirt and tie. There’s a button badge on his lapel that says ‘RAP’. He is looking towards us, gesticulating with his right hand. There’s a speech bubble next to his head that says “Vous auriez de dire câblé”.

#ClassicAlbumThursday
Various, ‘Chébran: French Boogie 1980-1985’
(released by Born Bad Records, 2015)

Stumbled across this on Sp*t*fy while looking for something else. Ace comp of quirky rap and disco. No doubt there’s things here that’d go straight in la poubelle if I understood the words… (🧵1/2)

A baby seal head on a guy holding an axe, explosion in the background, and a city

How’d they make a cover as awesome as this in 1977?

Anyway, playing this as a special #ClassicAlbumThursday

Riot - Rock City (1977)

Cover art of the LP ‘Refuge’ by Heaven & Earth. The duo are photographed (from above) lying on the floor, in opposite directions but with their heads next to each other. They are looking directly into the camera.

#ClassicAlbumThursday
Heaven & Earth, ‘Refuge’ (1973)

Was reminded of this LP as Jonny Trunk included it in his recent Soft Psych and sunshine pop Listening Room session. This is the former genre, hippy folk but with lush arrangements. Mostly originals but some covers too inc. Elton’s “60 Years On”

Women and Children First - YouTube

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Some classic rock, probably!

Van Halen - Women and Children First (1980)

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Business As Usual - YouTube

#classicalbumthursday

Probably the biggest selling new wave album!

Men At Work - Business As Usual (1981)

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Front cover art for the LP ‘Scraps’ by NRBQ. A moodily lit shot of a pair of colourful but very worn out (non-matching) shoes.

#ClassicAlbumThursday
NRBQ, ‘Scraps’ (1972)

Matt from MEMORIALS picked this (on IG recently) as one of the band’s 5 LPs everyone must own. Absolutely no pretence whatever to classic status, just easygoing, heartfelt blues/rock with one-finger keyboard solos (inc toy piano on the moving “Only You”).

Front cover of the sleeve to the LP ‘Sonhos e Memórias 1941-1972’ by Erasmo Carlos (brother of mainstream Brazilian pop artist Roberto Carlos and co-writer of some of the latter’s hits). The title translates as ‘Dreams and Memories’. In addition to the artist name and title in a very large, very 70s font, the cover includes pink and orange tinted monochrome photographs of objects, symbols and famous people that (presumably) inspired the record.

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Erasmo Carlos, ‘Sonhos e Memórias 1941-1972’ (1972)

A Brazilian artist I stumbled across while down a rabbit hole looking for something else. A singular fusion of rock, soul, country and singer-songwriter. Pretty much every song has a different arrangement. Wonderful record.

Vespertine - YouTube

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Bjork - Vespertine (2001)

Queen of quirk? Let’s find out!

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My realistic effort! Will listen to this on #ClassicAlbumThursday

Front cover of the 1971 Polydor (Germany) LP, ‘Pieces From The Cloudland Ballroom’ by Anthony Moore. A grainy photograph of the exterior of said ballroom, taken at night, against a white background. Below the photo in ornate cursive text is the album title. Above it, in the same font, appears to be the following text: “Abey / seed‘ Goldfish A.B.C.D. Gol’fish M. N. O. Gol’fish S. D. R. Gol’fish R. D. R. Gol’fish”

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Anthony Moore, ‘Pieces from the Cloudland Ballroom’ (1971)

fsvo “classic”. Debut solo LP from UK experimental composer/ songwriter, co-founder of Slap Happy and (later) collaborator with Pink Floyd. I chose this cos its final track was once included in a Stereolab radio mix.

Yeah, they seem before my time and I never got interested in yacht rock - I’ll save them for a #ClassicAlbumThursday

John Coltrane - Blue Train LP

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Saw mention of John Coltrane, so thought I’d give this a spin

John Coltrane - Blue Train (1958)

Front cover art of the self titled LP by Odyssey, released on Tamla Motown west coast subsidiary MoWest in 1972. Seven people, four in the middle distance, three more in the far distance, standing on a beach. The tide is out. A bright sun, low in the sky, shines behind them - the people are thus only visible as silhouettes. The exposed sand is covered with a thin layer of water, giving the impression at first glance that the people are standing on water. There is a small bare tree in the foreground and what might be a pier on the far left, only partially in shot. It’s a great photograph!

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Odyssey - s/t (1972)

Gave up half way through the first LP I tried today* (recommended by the Sp*t*fy alg, thanks for nowt alg) and have switched to this. Much more my thing. Not the “Native” New Yorkers of the disco era!

*’Afreaka!’ by Demon Fuzz (1970)

LP - Sonny & Cher ‘Look At Us’ - sonny in an animal skin gilet, chef in green long black hair

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Sonny & Cher - Look At Us (1965)

Top pop duo! A favourite record cover

Front cover of the world premiere recording of Berio’s ‘Sinfonia’ (Columbia Masterworks LP, US, 1969)

#FebAudit
#NowPlaying
(also #ClassicAlbumThursday)

19/28. Swingle Singers/New York Philharmonic cond. Luciano Berio, ‘Sinfonia’

Premiere recording from 1969 of 4 movement version. A charity shop(!) find in January. Sleeve a bit battered but vinyl in EX condition. This has long been on my wish list

#ClassicAlbumThursday

The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

Raw rock’n’roll from Jack and Meg

Front cover of the ‘Nancy & Lee Again’ LP. Tightly cropped monochrome head shots of the duo against a dirty white background. “1971 saw the return of Lee Hazlewood for Nancy & Lee Again which was retitled Did You Ever? in several countries, including the UK, where it reached #31 in the album chart. The LHI label was coming to an end, and they recorded in Hollywood. It was released by RCA, and has never been issued on CD.” (peterviney.com - from his mega web page analysing every Nancy recording) “LEE: We hadn’t recorded, Nancy and I, for quite a few years, and I was living in Sweden, so she said “Let’s do it!” So we went around a few record companies to ask them if they wanted us to record again, and they said ‘no.’ So I said, ‘Let’s just go in the studio. I’ll put up half the money, and you put up half the money.’ She said, ‘Fine, let’s do it that way, we did some good songs that I wrote and that I found, I think Nancy might have found a couple of them.” Total Lee! Sleeve notes, 2002

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, ‘Nancy & Lee Again’ (recorded 1971)

Can’t believe I’ve never listened to this record before.

Should be fairly okay I think, no reposts on following - it’s #classicalbumthursday, time to get on with my analysis of the White Stripes

I will give it a listen at the next #ClassicAlbumThursday

Soz, don’t feel like listening to music today, so no #ClassicAlbumThursday from me! But you could listen to a classic album of your choice (as long as you haven’t heard it before) and report back!

Screen grab from Spotify of the front cover of ‘Na Kosmodromie’. A rocket ship ascends vertically into space above a planet, a huge tail of flame streaming behind it.

Screen grab from the internet of the rear cover of the LP ‘Na Kosmodromie’. A slightly amateurish assembly of credits and monochrome photographs of four of the seven credited performances.

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Grupa Organowa Krzysztofa Sadowskiego, ‘Na Kosmodromie’ (1972)

Fabulous jazz-prog-funky rock fusion record from Poland, released in the magic year. Another instagram tip. One cosmic side-long track on Side 1, five shorter ones on Side 2. Recommended!

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

First half is where all the famous songs from it live and I was mostly familiar with it. The second, Stanley Unwin-powered concept album half is a bit too quirky for me, though some of the songs are still good.

Samantha Fox - Touch Me - sam in leather jacket, sunglasses and blind hair - turning to camera

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Samantha Fox - Touch Me (1986)

Page 3 to one of the greatest pop stars of the mid 80’s?

Front cover of the sleeve of the LP ‘Funky Tramway’ by Mad Unity. A colourful painting of a street scene in Brussels circa 1920; a tram is travelling along the middle of the street - but over the windows of the tram carriages, black and white photographs of the faces of the members of Funky Tramway are superimposed + hype sticker for the 2017 “remastered” reissue of the LP (though I’m not convinced any remastering was actually done)

#FebAudit
(also #ClassicAlbumThursday)

5/28. Mad Unity, ‘Funky Tramway’ (1975)

Janko Nilović and all-Belgian group / session players (inc. Dan Lacksman later of Telex on moog) have fun with the library format. LP reissue on Underdog Records (France) from 2017, found mint/sealed a week or so ago.

Front cover of the 1974 UK 3LP edition, released on JCOA/Virgin Records, of ‘Escalator Over The Hill: A Chronotransduction by Carla Bley, Paul Haines’. Brown text (olde worlde billboard style font) on a beige-yellow background.

#ClassicAlbumThursday
Carls Bley/Paul Haines/Jazz Composers Orchestra, ‘Escalator Over The Hill’ (1971)

Strictly speaking, I’ve heard this once before, or some of: mid/late teens me borrowed the 3LP from Crawley library. Safe to say I didn’t know what to make of it then. I certainly didn’t tape it.

Dylan & the Dead - Wikipedia

Don’t see this one get mentioned - a preview for next week’s #ClassicAlbumThursday

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_%...

#ClassicAlbumThursday

Jim Sullivan - U.F.O (1969)

Pretty enjoyable folk rock! Jim has a smooth voice. I liked the sinister opening track ‘Jerome’

Wee Tam - YouTube

#ClassicAlbumThursday

The Incredible String Band - Wee Tam (1968)

As I just picked it up from the chazza, let’s go with this one! Quirky folksters by the sound of it!

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